A Cosmic Wager
by Hermes' Angel
Summary: The Greek gods make a bet to see if Cupid, the world's best matchmaker, can hook up Draco and Hermione, the world's most unlikely couple. Chapter 8is in the house!
1. And so it begins

"Watch where you're going, mudblood!" Spat Draco Malfoy.

"Oooh, scary." Retorted Hermione Granger sarcastically. "I shiver with fear from your 'original' threat."

The two enemies sized each other up, looking for an insult to hurl, as Hogwarts students passed by unheeded.

~*~

Meanwhile, up on Mount Olympus, Cupid was watching the scene with amusement written clearly on his face.

"There is a potential romance, if I have ever seen one. And believe me, I've seen plenty." He remarked to Hermes, who was watching the confrontation down on Earth with skepticism.

"Oh please! Any fool can tell that a romance between those two is as impossible as… as Hades having a sense of humour!" Snorted Hermes. "Nothing will ever bring those two together, even with you great matchmaking skills."

"I say they will. In fact, I would bet anything on it." Remarked Cupid slyly.

"Are you suggesting," Hermes paused for effect. "A wager?" His eyes glittered at the prospect of winning an easy bet.

"Of course. I'll wager..." He paused for a moment. "Ten pieces of silver that I'll be able to bring those two together."

"On a few conditions." Replied Hermes. "One, that you don't use your arrows." 

"And the other?" Asked Cupid cautiously.

"That I will be doing my best to stop this impossible romance."

"A challenge." Cupid's eyes gleamed. "Even better. I can use my other powers of course?"

"Of course" Agreed Hermes.

They shook hands and began a wager that would be the most memorable.

On Earth, unknown to two mortals, their lives were about to change drastically.

~*~

A/N: So? What do you guys think? I came up with the plot while I was watching Disney's "Hercules". A really cool cartoon! I highly recommend it.

Yes, I know the chapter is short, just bear with me for a while.

Anyway, I have the next chapter here all ready, if I get at least 5 reviews, I'll post the next chapter.

*holds chapter hostage*

Ok??

Anyay, take care now. Peace out!!

P.S. I have a much longer A/N BTW, I'll just insert it as the last chapter.


	2. Cupid's POV

Chapter 2

~*~Cupid's POV~*~

As I flew down to Hogwarts, I wondered how I could bring those two together. It won't be an easy task, especially with that fool Hermes foiling my plans.

I flew around the school, looking for Draco and Hermione. I finally saw them at their Potions class. Now, all I have to do was figure out how I could use this to my advantage.

I noticed that Hermes was already there, watching the class like a cat might watch a bird.

As usual, Hermione and Draco were sitting on opposite sides of the room. I noticed that Hermione wasn't sitting with Ron and Harry. I found out that they were sitting with their girlfriends, leaving Hermione all alone. Good. The lonelier Hermione is, the easier it is to bring her closer to Draco.

By this time, Hermes had grown bored and was amusing himself by hiding Neville's potion ingredients and making the poor boy run to the supply cupboard and back trying to replenish his ingredients.

As poor Neville got more and more flustered, Hermes grew amused. Professor Snape, on the other hand, didn't care a bit.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit me so hard I wondered if it was a message from the Muses themselves. I checked Hermione's potion supplies to see what she was running out of, and then I did the same with Draco. They were both running out of Mandrake root.

With a snap of my fingers, I mad their shares of the ingredient vanish.

Almost instantly, Hermione had to use it. Of course, since I made it vanish, she had to go to the cupboard.

A minute later, Draco had to make the same trip.

I think it would be pretty obvious what I did next.

As the door to the larder shut and locked it self 'accidentally' I saw that Hermes was already devising a plan on how to get them out.

I floated into the cupboard to see how the romance was coming along.

Inside, those two were bickering heatedly about something; I noticed that neither of them had found the ingredient.

Ah hah. Now they were moving around the larder, looking for the ingredient, each yelling something over their shoulder about how much it was the other's fault for getting them stuck in a small space with only the other for company.

As Hermione moved in Draco's direction, I had a sudden idea. If Hermione was to trip and land on Draco…

I quickly stuck my foot out in Hermione's way. As she fell down, Hermes suddenly appeared and yanked Draco out of Hermione's way, making her hit the floor with a loud 'smack!' Ouch.

I scowled at Hermes, who had perched himself on a high shelf and was grinning insanely. I sighed and unlocked the door just as Hermione and Draco decided two break the door down (they had 'conveniently' forgotten their wands). My timing was entirely by accident, of course.

Oh well, I wasn't able to bring them together on the first try, but there are plenty of opportunities. After all, Thebes wasn't built in a day you know. Although it would have if the Greeks had listened to me…

~*~End Chapter 2~*~

A/N: Tadaa! The second chapter!! You know, after giving the matter some thought, I've decided to post one chapter a week, if I get enough reviews, and if I have a chapter ready by then :P

Anyway, many thanks to ma Beta-reader, McG. *gives biiiig hug* you da bomb!!

And loads of thanks to ma friend, simsim, and to Munjid, who was the least person I'd have expected to like it!!

Oh ya, I'm looking for someone to illustrate this for me, anyone here interested??

Anyway (again! XD) gotta go! See you next week!! 

Peace out!!

Micha.

=^_^=


	3. Hermes' POV

~*~Chapter 3~*~

~*~Hermes' POV~*~

That was close. I must pay attention to what I do. If I give Cupid any more inspiration, I might as well be a Muse!

It seems that the easiest thing to do would be to try and keep the two as far apart as possible. The harder it is to for that Cupid to bring them together, the easier it is for me to win. I'll put my plan into action at night, and let Cupid have his fun during the day.

I followed Draco around the school and found out that he had Divination with the Gryffindors. The subject for the day was crystal-gazing. No sooner had they begun the class, Cupid was forming images of the two as a couple in Hermione and Draco's crystal-balls. I quickly stopped him by making Neville's ball roll off the table and shatter on the floor; distracting Cupid which made the images fade away. But I was a little too late. Draco and Hermione had begun to glance with something that looked a little more than quizzical looks. Even though I don't specialize in love and all these things, I could tell that the look wasn't going to help me in my challenge. 

Cupid noticed the look of horror on my face and started laughing. I'll show him. The last person who laughed at me had her band broken up and she disappeared into obscurity. But that is another story I'll save for later.

Anyway, back to my problem. How in Hades am I going to keep those two apart? How am I going to stop Cupid from doing something that he is an expert on? How can I think on an empty stomach? It must be lunch time.

 I flew back up to Mount Olympus. Stopping the romance can wait till after lunch. Besides, I'll have plenty of time to put my plan into action tonight.

~*~End of Chap 3~*~

A/N: Wow!!! Look at all the reviews I got! I never really expected so many! Loads of thanks to all he people who reviewed!! 

So, the third chapter already! (Oh yeah, sorry McG for not sending the last chapter, something was wrong with Hotmail.)

Anyway, sorry for the short chapter, it's kind of hard to write the story in Hermes' POV; I can usually put more details in Cupid's chapters. 

*looks at last line of chapter* Hmmm, do you guys think this counts as a cliffhanger? You know, I think I'll keep it like this to see what other writers like so much about leaving cliffhangers like this.

*sees people running at me with dangerous looking objects* or not…

Anyways, I'll post the last chapter as soon as I type it out and I get it back from my Beta (McG). So, tc until then!!

Ciao!!

MiChA


	4. Cupid's POV

~*~Chapter 4~*~

~*~Cupids' POV~*~

I watched Hermes fly back to Mount Olympus for lunch, leaving me to speed up the romance up a little. He has something up his sleeve, I can tell. Anyway, I didn't need to take a break, I don't usually eat a lot, to keep my *Ahem* masculine figure in shape.

I took the opportunity to spy on Draco and Hermione and see what I could do. When I reached Hermione's room, she was sitting at her desk writing feverishly. Why am I not surprised…? But when I looked over her shoulder, I saw that she had begun a potions essay and then suddenly doodling Draco's name, over and over again. I don't think that is part of the essay. 

Suddenly, she gasped and stared in horror at what she had just done, and then promptly threw the parchment into the fire burning in the fire place, then promptly screamed in frustration when she had realized what she had done. I don't think those feet of parchment could be replaced… Well, I think that scene was a good sign. In an only-I-could-call-that-good kind of way, but it didn't give me a lot of help. 

When I reached Draco's room, he was sitting on the floor playing with the ouija board. I them decided -out of boredom- to move the pointer to the letters H-E-R-M-I-O-N-E. For a second, Draco smiled (I hope the question didn't have anything to do with who Draco's enemy was, but I think the smile of his face is saying the opposite), but then his expression quickly changed from dreamy to one that said "uh-oh". Once again, this was a good sign, but it didn't help me a lot. 

Sighing, I sat on table in the Great Hall and began racking my brains. What should I do… what should I do…

I asked myself: what would Hermes do to drive those two apart? That didn't help. I wondered what Aphrodite would do in this kind of situation, but that didn't help either. I started to drum my fingers absent-mindedly, and then I realized what I was doing. Of course! Why didn't I think of it before! I hope Euterpe can help me…

Using my Olympian powers, I sent a mental image of myself to Euterpe. When I reached her, she was busy gossiping to the other Muses. 

"Hey 'terpe," I said. "I need a favour." 

"Does it have anything to do with the cosmic wager going on between you and Hermes?"

"He's been talking about it, huh?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Word gets around fast." I should have known…

"Anyway," I continued. "Can you help me or not?'"

"Give me one good reason why I should." She demanded.

"Because I'm such a nice guy?" I offered, throwing my "drop dead gorgeous" smile in for good measures. 

"Oh all right." She said grudgingly. "What do I do?"

"Come down to Earth and I'll explain." I said in the most mysterious way I could without sounding dorky. 

"Fine." She huffed.

"Oh thank you, thank you, and thank you!!"  I said gleefully, jumping up and down childishly.

~*~

When Euterpe finally arrived I was going mad with impatience.

"Aww, sweet. Cupid couldn't wait to see me." Were her first words when she _finally_ arrived. Ignoring my silence, she added, "Ok, what is _so _important that I had to leave an interesting discussion I was having with my sisters?" 

"You were gossiping." I stated. "Well, it was interesting, wasn't it?" She retorted.

I shook my head, amused. "Anyway, I need a song." "Huh?!" Asked Euterpe after a few moments of confusion. "What does this have to do with the bet?" "Tsk, tsk tsk. Always the impatient one. Why don't you wait and see?" "Because I don't wanna wait!!" She whined in that childish voice that she always used when she wanted something. Strangely enough, it was kind of cute. I mentally slapped myself. Cupid! Snap out of it! She's with Narcissus! 

"Anyway, I need you to inspire two people with a song. Any kind, as long as it is a love song and involves something about falling in love with the enemy."

 "Easy. I wouldn't be too far off if I said that those two people were Draco and Hermione, right?" Euterpe asked. 

"Oh yeah."

"Anything specific?"

"It has to be original. 100 percent original."

We flew to Hermione's room, where she was feverishly writing on a piece of parchment. This time, she was working on that Potions essay. All Euterpe had to do was touch Hermione's shoulder, and Hermione instantly started humming a tune as she worked, with a smile on her face. Now all I have to do is work on Draco… 

Once we reached Draco's room, I found him working diligently on what seemed to be the same essay that Hermione was working on. Once Euterpe had worked her magic on him, Draco was humming away with a small smile on his face. 

Once we left the castle, I asked Euterpe how her relationship was working out with Narcissus.

"Not very well." She said." All he does is look at his reflection. I'm beginning to wonder what it was I saw in him."

"Gee, I don't know. It definitely can't be his looks." I said innocently, while feeling overjoyed. Maybe they might break up! Even though I was the 'bringer of love' and all that stuff, I couldn't do anything about Euterpe's relationship with Narcissus. All I could do was hope that she would one day realize that she loved me as much as I loved her and end her relationship with Narcissus. But if I did anything now, the friendship that we had ever since we were children would be lost.

Anyway, Euterpe laughed at my remark and said: "True. You know, I'm beginning to think that he's not so handsome after all."

"Just tell that to all his fan girls. They'd start running after you with dangerous objects. I think he loves you. It's just that he can't show it well. Just give him time." 

"Actually," Euterpe said." You're right."

"Of course I am. I'm Cupid." I laughed.

"Thanks for making me feel better." She said with a smile. Oh Zeus, I _love _her smile. Suddenly, Euterpe gave me a hug. To her, it wouldn't be a big deal, we were such good friends. But to me, I felt like I could fly without wings. 

Just as she flew off, Hermes appeared next to me. I hope he didn't see that…

"So," I said nolanchantly."Did you enjoy your lunch?"

"Oh yeah. It's so hard to cause mischief on an empty stomach. Did you manage to bring those two together yet?"

"Nope"

"Good. By the way, there's a running bet to see who'll win this wager."

"Gee, I wonder who told them about it." I said sarcastically. Hermes chose to ignore that.

"Anyway," I said. "I'm feeling tired. I don't think I'll do a lot of work for the rest of the day. I'm just going to watch the other couples I paired up to see how they're getting along."

I left Hermes to go and watch Ginny and Colin Creevly. I'm actually proud of that pairing, they were so compatible. When I saw them, they were snuggled up on the sofa studying for their upcoming test. The scene was _soo_ sweet.

But as for Harry's relationship with Parvati, that wasn't going so well. But that's not my fault, I didn't pair them up. Parvati was just hanging on to Harry for his 'Boy who lived' status. A shame…

As for Ron, Felicity, a Ravenclaw sixth year, was cheating on him. I feel sorry for Ron… 

I yawned. I felt really tired, after the long day that I had. Hey, that chair in Hermione's room looks really comfy. Maybe I could just take a short nap…

~*~End Chap. 4~*~

A/N

*Crawls out of huge pile of books* I'm Baack! The fourth chapter. Finally! 

After about a month of studying for exams, I finally had a chance to finish this chapter. I'm now typing out the next chapter, but this one should be long enough to keep you occupied for a while. Don't worry though; the next one will be coming soon.

And, as usual, thanks to all my readers. Some one mentioned that I should write a few chapters from Draco and Hermione's POV. Good idea, I'm actually going to write a whole fic from their POVs. This one just focuses on the Cupid and Hermes' POV. Oh yeah, does anyone here draw or illustrate? I'm looking for someone to illustrate my fic. I've asked a few people, but they didn't get back to me on that. Anyone interested should contact me via e-mail or reviews. Anyway, gotta go.

Have a nice summer! 

MiChA 


	5. Hermes' POV

~*~Chapter 5~*~  
~*~Hermes' POV~*~  
  
I wonder what Cupid was doing with Euterpe. Anyway, that wasn't my business. Since neither Hermione nor Draco was asleep yet, I decided to fly down to the Potions dungeon to check out the place. I hadn't gotten a good look around there the last time, thanks to someone.  
  
I have to admit, even for someone who has seen a lot of laboratories and dungeons; the Hogwarts Potions dungeon was pretty impressive. Professor Snape was sitting at his table marking papers. As he marked a large, red cross through one assignment I took the liberty of looking over his shoulder to see what he was marking. "I despise having people reading over my shoulder, so desist." I was shocked. A mortal could see me?! I carefully asked: "How can you see me?" "There is a very interesting mortal feature called eyes." He replied in his usual sarcasm. "No need to be so sarcastic." I huffed. "Ask a stupid question. It's a long story which I don't wish to divulge. What are you doing here?" "That's a long story too, which I don't want to talk about either, so I'm not telling you." "Not as if I care anyway." "Fine." "Fine." I sat on a desk and looked through a textbook. After a few minutes I cracked and said: "I have a bet going on with Cupid to try and stop him from bringing Draco and Hermione together, and it looks like I'm losing." "I thought you didn't want to talk about it," said Snape, annoyed that I had interrupted him from marking papers. I ignored that and I told him the long story of the wager. Once I had finished with a plea for his assistance, he cocked an eyebrow and said: "And you're telling me this because.?" "Because I'm so desperate, I'll even listen to you!" I whined. Snape looked like he was going to hex me on the spot right then, but seemed to change his mind and said: "Even if it meant that you would stop annoying me with your endless whining, as a rule, I don't tend to meddle with Olympian matters, or help people out of problems they put themselves into." "It wasn't my fault-" I started to whine, and then realization hit me. I am so going to kill Cupid. He set me up! Never mind, I am so going to win this bet with what I have planned for Draco and Hermione. "Anyway, nice talking to you." I jumped off the desk and went on my way. Snape didn't look up from the paper he was marking. As I flew to Draco's room, I wondered about the fact that Snape was one of the very few mortals who could see me. It didn't make any sense to me at all. But then again, not a lot of things make sense to me.  
  
When I reached Draco's room, he was already fast asleep with a small smile on his face. Well, I'll take care of that. Concentrating hard, I formed a nightmare involving Hermione in his mind. It was one of my best ones, if you ask me. I mean, wouldn't you be repelled from someone you had a nightmare about? And I'm talking about the nightmares where someone is being your, well. worst nightmare. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, Draco suddenly sat up in bed, screaming and sweating. Wow, I guess I made the nightmare a little too scary. Oh well, the better to repel them away from each other with. Anyway, it's a good thing that he sleeps in his own room; he would have had a hard time explaining this to his room mates. After a few minutes of shivering and sweating, Draco got out of his bed and sat at his desk to finish some essay. Gee, it must look hard. I've never seen anyone concentrate so hard since I saw Hercules trying to write his name. And he was only trying to figure how to hold the pencil! Anyway, after a few minutes of writing, Draco threw down his quill with a frustrated sigh. Since he couldn't get back to sleep, he picked up a book and began reading. I noticed that he was humming a tune. That's strange; I never pictured Draco as the humming type. But, after a few minutes, he seemed to have become bored, and I guess he decided to get dressed (AN: out of his pajamas and into normal clothes to all you dirty minded people.) and head to the library.  
  
When I reached Hermione's room, I was getting ready to create her nightmare when I saw Cupid curled up in a chair, snoring softly. Tsk tsk tsk. Seems that his day with Euterpe really tired him out When Hermione woke up, she put on her robe and sat at her desk, trying to finish an essay. I nudged Cupid on his shoulder and he shot so high up I wondered why he even bothered to use his wings, yelping loudly. "Can you scream a little louder?" I hissed at him. "I don't think Hades heard you clearly." It's a good thing Hermione, among most mortals, wasn't able to see or hear us, or else we would have had a problem. "Well, you pinched me," hissed Cupid back. "I didn't pi- Why are we whispering?" I asked in my normal voice. "Don't know. Must be the atmosphere." "Whatever. Seems like your day with Euterpe really tired you out," I remarked. "Day? What day? I didn't spend time with Euterpe," said Cupid with all the innocence he could manage. "Oh please! It's not as if I didn't see her leave when I came back," I retorted. "Alright, fine. She just dropped by to say hi. That's all," he finished lamely, face turning red. "Ah-haaahhh. Cupid and Euterpe are sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," I teased. During this Cupid turned a deeper shade of red and muttered "Shut up.' He looked at Hermione and asked me in an accusing tone: "Hermes, what have you done to her?" "Done what to who?" I asked innocently. "It's not as if I don't know the symptoms of your nightmares!" retorted Cupid. "The shaking, the sweating, the haunted eyes. What have you done to them?" He demanded. "I didn't do anything to either of them." "You did too." "Did not." "Did too." "Did not."  
  
We interrupt this fic to bring you this message from the authoress: I don't really feel like typing out the whole thing, so can you guys just  
read those last few lines over and over again?  
Thanks!! Now, on with the fic!  
  
"Did too, too, too," said Cupid, while sticking his tongue out. (Yeah, I know that's physically impossible, talking and sticking our tongues out at the same time, but hey, we're gods!) "Okay, that was mature," I said sarcastically. "Tell me what you did to them or else you won't live to regret it," he said menacingly. "If I told you, will you stop your whining?" I asked. "Yes," said Cupid, surprisingly calm. "Ok, then. I gave them both nightmares about each other so they would be afraid to go near the other." "You WHAT?!" yelled Cupid. "What are you trying to do, drive them apart?" "Ummm. duh," I said. Apparently, that wasn't what Cupid wanted to hear. He started to run after me with what sounded like a growl. I didn't wait around to see what would happen if he caught me. They don't call me Quicksilver for nothing! After chasing me around the room for a few times, he finally stopped and called a truce. He walked over to Hermione and looked at what she was writing. He then smiled and said: "You won't be able to drive them apart after what I've done." Well, that got me curious. When I looked at what Hermione was writing, I saw that she was writing what looked like a poem or something. "What has this got to do with Draco or the wager?" I asked. "You'll see, you'll see." said Cupid. "Whatever." I was getting bored. Cupid just went back to his chair and was started staring off into space. I was walking around the room, looking for something to do. "Please stop moving about, you're bothering me," he said. "But I'm bored!" I whined. "How could you be bored?! It's only been a few minutes since I tried to maim you." Suddenly, Hermione got dressed and left the room. "Hey, Cupid," I said, "Where do you think Hermione's going?" "The library" "How do you know that?" "Lucky guess. Where's Draco?" "I think he went to the library. too." I suddenly realized it. Uh oh.. "See you there!" said Cupid cheerfully and quickly left the room. "Oh no you won't." I muttered and set off to the library. Only thing is, I didn't know where it was. Once again, uh oh.  
  
~*~ AN: A new chapter! Wow!! Chapter 5 already. my little story is growing up. Anyway, thanks to all the readers for reading and reviewing. One small request though, can you please stop suggesting a chapter or two from the POVs of Draco and Hermione?!? I've already told you guys, I'll write a whole fic with their POVs. Anyway (I say that a lot, don't I?), this fic was a bit weird, I was a bit hyper when I was typing this. Anyway, again, muchos gracias to McG and Rochelle (did I spell that right) for being my Beta and for illustrating my fic (in that order). Anyway, yet again, I have to go now, take care, and, if someone finds out who dies in HP 5, email me if it's Draco, please? I won't be able to get the book after some time, and I have nightmares where Draco gets killed off. Lame I know, but all the same.  
  
Take care people!!  
  
MiChA 


	6. Yep u guessed it! Cupid's POV

~*~Chapter 6~*~

~*~Cupid's POV~*~

I am so going to kill Hermes. As if I didn't have enough problems on thinking about what to do to bring those two together, now I have to fix the damages that _Hermes_ did! Ok, so we agreed that we would do whatever we could to reach our goal, and ok, I was the one who suggested the wager. But that doesn't give Hermes the right to… Ok, so he _could _make them have those nightmares…

My ranting was interrupted when I saw Hermione enter the Library. So my guess _was_ right. 

When I looked around the Library, I saw that Draco was already there as well, only he was sitting at a table that was too far away from Hermione for my comfort. Apart from those two, the Library was empty, and the only light there was from their candles. I'm not surprised, since it was really late at night. Couldn't Hermes have chosen a better time to scare them out of their wits? Like in the daytime or something? This place was gives me the creeps…

On a happier note, Hermione decided to fight the song stuck in her head and write out the words. Maybe I could somehow get Draco to see the piece of parchment…

Draco, on the other hand, was trying to finish the Potions paper that I saw him working on earlier on. Maybe Hermione might help him with it once I win the bet! Yeah, I am the most optimistic person in the cosmos.

I decided to pass the time by looking at the books that the Library had. After looking around for a few minutes, I picked up a copy of 'Men are from Mars, women are from Venus'. 

You know, this book is very interesting, maybe I'll stop by later to read it again. That is, _if_ I get a chance to go back to the Library. Hermes was keeping me busier than I ever have been. With all the work he's given me, I'm doing more match-making things than I ever did in my life, including the Valentine's Day work loads! Speaking of which, maybe I could give Euterpe a valentine… 

I mentally slapped myself again. Bad Cupid! Euterpe already has a boyfriend! 

Valentine's Day isn't going to come around for another few months anyway.

Maybe I can make Draco and Hermione meet under the mistletoe… After all, Christmas _was_ a month away. Maybe I could get those two together _before_ Valentine's Day. Then I could gloat to Hermes then! 

But first, I _have_ to see the reason why women cry at weddings…

After about an hour or so, I looked up from my book and saw that Hermione had fallen asleep with her head resting on the table, the lyrics to the song almost finished. Poor thing, I saw her doing a lot of work lately, she must be exhausted.

Draco was still working on his paper, although I don't think that he made a lot of progress. 

Ok, so Hermione was asleep and the lyrics were in clear sight, so that anyone passing by could read them, and Hermes was nowhere in sight. Now how am I going to get Draco to see the lyrics without making it obvious?

As I watched Draco write his paper, I suddenly had an idea. You know, with all the books he's moving around, and his wand on the edge of his table, it could easily fall off… 

I quickly knocked his wand off the table and sent it rolling on the floor. Draco got up and went over to pick it up, but I had kicked it in the direction of Hermione's table. Every time Draco got close to his wand, I kicked it again, moving it closer and closer to Hermione's table. Hey, this is kind of fun! No wonder Hermes does this a lot. Maybe I should do this often…

I spend too much time with Hermes, it was getting scary.

I kept kicking the wand until it reached Hermione's table and hit its leg. Hermione slightly stirred, but she didn't wake up. When Draco reached the wand, his head was bent so he didn't see her. When he straightened up, the first thing he saw when he picked his wand up was the piece of parchment with the lyrics on it. After he read them, his eyes widened slightly in surprise. Then he looked at Hermione's face, which was calm and peaceful. Hey, this is getting better than I expected!

Draco did nothing but stare at Hermione in shock. I guess having another person with the same song in their heads _can _have that effect on you. Now, all I have to do is hope that he stays there for a while…

Draco brushed some of Hermione's hair off her face. She smiled and mumbled something, but it was too soft for him to hear it. Hey, this is going well!

You know, to the romantic at heart, like me, I think she said something like 'Draco'. To all the cynics, like Hermes, I guess they would say that she said something obscure, which has nothing to do with the Wager. Let's hope that Draco is even _slightly_ romantic… 

Anyway, Draco stood there for a few minutes, just staring at her sleeping. Then I realized that while he brushed some of her hair, he had moved his face closer to hers…

His face was moving closer to hers, but I don't think he was realizing it.

I heard a sound that sounded like disgust. I looked up and saw Hermes perched on the top of a book case with an expression that could curdle milk. I flew up and joined him.

"Well, it looks like I win!" I exclaimed gleefully. 

"Don't count your chickens before they're hatched." Said Hermes, his expression changing to a smirk. 

"Oh please! It's obvious that they're going to kiss. There's nothing that you can do! Besides, it's you fault that you got lost!" 

Hermes just looked in the direction of the door.

As I turned my head in that direction, a harsh voice cut though the silence, ruining whatever was going to happen down there.

"What is going on here?"

I looked at Hermes accusingly, who was smirking at me.

I am _so _going to kill him…

~*~

A/N: Ooohhh! Look! *Points* 

A cliffhanger!! This time, I want you guys to tell me who you think interrupted the potential warm-and-fuzzy moment in your reviews, and I'll tell you if you're right or wrong in my next chapter!  Anyway, you know the drill. Thanks to all my readers and to McG for being my beta. And thanks to Rochelle for drawing Euterpe for me. 

Oh yeah, I got HP 5, and I'm just bursting with spoilers! I love the book! And thanks to everyone who reassured me about who dies. I was scared for a while…

Did anyone read about those Iranian twins who died on the operating table? It's so sad. May they both rest in peace…

Anyway (again!) I got to go.

Take care! And enjoy your summer!

MiChA


	7. bla bla bla Hermes' POV

~*~Chapter 7~*~

~*~Hermes' POV~*~

Ok, _that _was close. If I hadn't seen that person on my way to the Library then Cupid would've won the bet! 

And as for that disgusting… whatever you can call it, ugh! How… how ewww!

Anyway, as I was on my way to the Library, I saw a thin, strict-looking lady with her hair in a tight bun patrolling the corridors. I thought that she might get those two out of the Library and into their own bedrooms, away from each other. I managed to kick a suit of armor and get her to go to the Library. I got there before her, in time to see Cupid _this _close to winning the bet. 

When Cupid joined me on top of the book case I was sitting on, and was starting to gloat, that lady came just in time to stop the happenings. 

"Who is _that_?" Asked Cupid as the lady was demanding an explanation.

"No idea. I saw her on the way here and I thought I would bring her along."

"Did she see you?"

"Funny you should ask that…" I was about to tell him what had happened during my trip to the Dungeons (The anecdote had slipped my mind when I met Cupid earlier in Hermione's bedroom) when Cupid interrupted me and wanted to listen in on what was going on between those two and the lady.

"I never would have expected this from you two. What are you doing out of your rooms after hours?" Demanded the lady.

"Ummm… I was patrolling the corridors when I heard a sound in the Library, so I went to investigate." Stammered Draco Malfoy.

"An interesting story Mr. Malfoy, however you are not scheduled for patrol duty tonight. And what's your story, Ms. Granger?" The lady asked sarcastically. 

"I couldn't sleep, so I wanted to finish my Potions paper." Said Hermione, limply waving the piece of parchment that I had seen earlier.

"By the way, what is with those lyrics she's writing?" I asked Cupid.

"Shh, I want to hear what the lady has to say." Said Cupid, leaning closer to get a better view of the dilemma slowly unfolding. 

"Since you two were out of your rooms after hours, ten points from Gryffindor and Slytherin and detention with me. You will report to me after lunch tomorrow to receive information on your detention."

"But-"

"No excuses, Mr. Malfoy."

"Well," said Cupid after the three had left, "Since I won't be able to do much right now, I think I'll just go to sleep. What are you going to do tomorrow?"

"I was going to suggest a break for a few days to plan our next step. How about, say, a week of not doing anything to do with the wager?"

"Melody to my ears. Why don't we just hang out around the school tomorrow?

"Good. By the way, I'll have to introduce you to someone I met earlier today. It seems that one of the professors can see me."

"Uh-huh, interesting. But I'll have to meet them tomorrow, when I'm fully awake. I'm blaming _you _for keeping me awake this long."  Said Cupid grumpily. "I'm tired, and I'm not very nice when I'm tired."

"Oh, so it's a problem with sleep then!" I said awed. 

If looks could have killed, I would have been splattered.

I guess it was a good thing Cupid was so tired; he didn't have any energy to waste on me…

~*~

The next day, I met Cupid at the dungeons in the afternoon.

"Maybe you can explain why he is the only mortal who can see me." I told Cupid as we walked in.

"Hey! Professor Snape! How are ya?" I asked as I appeared before him. Snape looked up at me with the usual sneer before asking: "What do you want now?"

"I want you to meet one of my best friends. Eros, Snape. Snape, Eros."

"Look, I have no time for any jokes, especially from a sniveling god who can't solve his own problems."

No prizes for guessing who made _that_ remark…

"Hermes, why can he see you and not me?" Asked Cupid.

"Who are you talking to?" Demanded Snape.

I could tell that this wasn't such a good idea after all…

"Snape," I said, with the patience of someone trying to explain that one plus one equaled two to a little kid; "This is Eros" I pointed to Cupid, who was sitting on a desk watching the conversation thoughtfully. "Eros is my friend, who also challenged me to the wager I told you about."

Snape looked at me with an expression that made Medusa look like Miss World.

"Alright then, hello Eros." Said Snape in the general direction of where Cupid was sitting.

"Why does everyone _insist_ on calling me Eros? No one uses that name anymore. My name is Cupid! Honestly, you'd think after a few hundred years-" Cupid was ranting and raving. I don't think he got enough sleep… 

"He prefers to be called Cupid."  I told Snape. 

"Do I care?" Asked Snape.

"Hermes," Interrupted Cupid, "Ask him what time lunch finishes."

When I relayed the information to Snape, he replied: "In fifteen minutes."

"And what subject does he teach?" Asked Cupid, suddenly realizing something. Obviously, I couldn't tell what it was, I'm no mind reader.

"Potions, duh." I replied.

"No need to be snappish. I figured out why he can see you."

"You did? Why can he see me? Tell me, tell me!" I asked excited.

"Why are you jumping up and down like a first year?" Asked Snape, annoyed that I interrupted his ignoring me.

"Cupid figured out why you can see me." I said excitedly.

"It's about time. Seems like Athena isn't the only one with the brains." Said Snape, relived that he wouldn't have to tell me.

"By the way," I turned towards Cupid, "Why _can _he see me?"

"Later. I want to see what the lady gave them for detention." And with that, he flew off.

 Speaking of which…

I turned towards Snape and asked: "Who was that lady I saw in the Library last night?"

"What is this, a bad joke?"

"Seriously, I led this lady to the Library, where Draco and Hermione were, and she saw them and gave them detention. And it was about time! They were _this _close to kissing!" I held my finger and thumb a short distance away from each other. "Actually, Draco was going to kiss Hermione, who fell asleep at the table. But I don't think he realized it-" 

"Before you start relating a cheesy novel, what did the lady look like?"

"I was going to tell you, no need to be impatient." I said, annoyed that he had interrupted me. "She was thin, with kind of red hair that was pulled up in a tight bun. She was also tall-ish, and she didn't look like a student, I think she was a teacher."

"Did she have wire-rimmed glasses?" Asked Snape, looking slightly interested.

"I think so."

"That was professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor."

"Oh."  Well, what else could I say? I suddenly realized that it would be useful to see what would happen during the detention.

"Well, it was nice talking to you again, but I have to go." 

"So soon?" Asked Snape sarcastically.

"Yeah. But I'll be back. Cupid hasn't told me why you can see me and I think I'll have to wait a while before he does, so I'll have to try and worm it out of you." I said cheerfully.

"Oh no…" Moaned Snape with his head on the desk.

I had to find McGonagall's office- "CRASH!"

"Ow…" Moaned Cupid, rubbing his head. "Why don't you look where you're going?" 

"It wasn't _my_ fault you were right outside the door!" I complained. 

"Well, I _was_ going to enter and tell you that their detention is next week. While the lady was talking to them, some guy entered and offered to take the detention off the lady's hands and supervise them himself." 

"Any idea who that guy was?"

"Nope. I think he's a teacher though."

"Gee, helpful." I said sarcastically. 

"At least I found out what happened to those two. You, on the other hand, were chatting to that potions professor."

"Oh yeah? At least I found out who the lady was while I was 'chatting to that professor'." 

"Oh really? Who was she?"

"The head of Gryffindor. Yes, that's Hermione's house." I added tiredly before Cupid could speak. "So, what's up with you and Euterpe?" I asked innocently. Cupid turned bright red and mumbled: "Nothing."

"Yeah right. And Hercules has a higher IQ than Athena." 

"He does?" 

"Come on Cupid, I've been your best bud for eons. What's up with you and Euterpe? You know something about her that Narcissus doesn't! No? She has a crush on someone else!" I was saying whatever I could think of. One of these ideas had to be true! "You have a crush on her! Oh Hades, you do!" I exclaimed when Cupid blushed an even deeper shade of red.

 "No I don't. Besides, she already has a boyfriend." Said Cupid.

"Yeah, but you didn't bring those two together, did you?"

"No."

"There you have it. A match that you weren't responsible for can never be."

"Not necessarily. There are plenty of couples who got together without my help. My job is to push the shy in the right direction."

"Or in some cases, shove." I muttered under my breath.

"The point is, I don't have a crush on Euterpe and that's final." Said Cupid firmly.

"Uh-huh, yeah right." I said, not believing him for one second.

"It's true!" Exclaimed Cupid.

"All right, all right! If it's true, it's true." I said with a shrug. I didn't feel like bothering with the whole matter anyway.

"So," I said, looking at Cupid, "What d'you wanna do?"

"Dunno," replied Cupid, "What _d'you _wanna do?" We looked at each other and started laughing. It was an old joke we had a few years ago.

"Oh yeah, what happened in McGonagall's office? I need the details." I asked Cupid.

"Nothing much. Draco was trying to do a last-minute talking out of the detention, and Hermione was just sitting there, looking stony. Then this man walked in and interrupted McGonagall just before she was going to give those two their detention."

"What did he look like?" I asked.

"Hmmm… let's see… He had two eye, two legs, and a nose-" one glare from me stopped him, then he gave me the _important_ details. "He looked like he was in his late thirties or something, but he aged before his time. He had brown hair, and though I wasn't sure, but I think he had these weird amber-ish coloured eyes."

"What else?" 

"Well, I think he had a mouth, and two arms, and get this, he has two han-" 

It was only by chasing him around Hogwarts did I get the details of the Detention.

After I had _finally_ found out that the detention was going to be held in a few days from today, I tried to grill Cupid on his relationship with Euterpe. Unfortunately, he didn't want to talk about it, insisting that they were good friends, they knew each other for centuries, yadda yadda yadda… you know the drill.

 When we set off to give the caretaker a hard time, I pondered the situation for a while.

It was time to a bit of my own matchmaking…

~*~

A/N: New chapter! Yippee! 

So, there you have it. The person who walked in was McGonagall! Thanks to everyone for having a go at guessing who the person was. You guys are welcome to try and guess who was the guys who interrupted Professor McGonagall, but I think it's pretty obvious, isn't it?!

Anyway, this chapter didn't come out the way I wanted it to be, but it's better than having no chapter, isn't it. 

I'll have a look at the fic when I finish, and repost or edit anything that just seems… awful.

Oh ya, someone "mentioned" that I had a fact wrong concerning Cupid's name. I hope this chapter cleared it up and I'm sorry. Here's something I want to tell you:

First of all, you could have been a bit nicer when you told me about the mistake, it's something called _"common courtesy_".

Second, and this is to everyone out there, if there is something wrong with my facts, then you either let me know about it _nicely _or you can offer to read any chapters before I post them, to keep the facts straight. 

I don't like it when people are rude to me for absolutely no reason, and I was already having a bad enough day as it was without their flame.

Now that I've gotten _that_ of my chest, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed and supported me while I was writing this fic. And thanks to McG for being my beta! By the way, if anyone wants me to beta their fics, you're welcome to ask. 

That's all folks!

MiChA


	8. Cupid's POV

~*~Chapter 8~*~

~*~Cupid's POV~*~

Hermes and I decided to walk in the forest for a while. We were walking there, him trying to get information on my non-existent relationship with Euterpe, me denying everything. I suddenly noticed that everything had gone abnormally quiet…

"Duck!" I yelled at Hermes. He dropped to the ground just in time; an arrow shot out of the shadows and implanted itself in the tree just behind his head! 

"Honestly Bane," Complained Hermes while dusting himself off, "It's no wonder you're so unpopular." That was said to Bane, a centaur living the forest, who came out where he was hiding.

"Well, you were making enough noise to wake the dead. Was I supposed to stand back and watch you scare off the animals?"

"I think the sight of your face is enough to accomplish that. I was merely warning the animals."

Hermes and Bane didn't have what could be called a friendly relationship. They simply detested each other, always looking for opportunities to humiliate/maim/grotesquely disfigure the other, sometime managing to accomplish all three at once!

As for me, I try to stay out of the crossfire as much as possible. After all, my motto was 'Make love, not war'.

Some hippies discovered it, and it became a popular mantra during the sixties. It's a very long story…

Anyway, Hermes and Bane were glaring at each other, and I was trying to keep them away from each other as much as possible. Thankfully, Bane decided that he didn't want to waste his time on Hermes. 

Ok, so it was an insult, but I didn't want to be around when he really lost his temper. Hermes had this way of winding people up, and Bane had the shortest tempers in the forest. 

Hermes was still miffed at the arrow incident. "I am _so _gonna get back at him at the party tonight." 

Oh no, I completely forgot about it. Zeus' annual 'Look at how all powerful I am' party. He throws a party every year for the sake of throwing one, and everyone from Mount Olympus_ has _to attend. If not... well, just look at Medusa. 

"You know, everyone is going to pester us for information on the wager tonight." I said to Hermes as we continued on our way.

"Oh yeah. I am going to impress the ladies with the story on how I pulled Draco out of the way." Said Hermes smugly. "That wasn't fair!" I complained. 

"Should I care?" 

We walked into a clearing at the edge of the forest, where a class was taking place.

"Hey, look. There's Draco!" I pointed out.

"Speak of the Devil…" Muttered Hermes. "I wonder where Hermione is." Hermione was standing on the other side of the group, with Harry and Ron.

The professor teaching the class was a really huge man with a bushy beard covering most his face. He spoke with this coarse, hard to understand accent, and I could only make out a few words.  

He went on about something called 'cabbits' or something or other, and it knowing what's best for their owner. He then called out students, and handed them a strange-looking cat with wings that led them to another student. The student would either be pleased or disturbed at whom the winged cat would lead them to, but they seemed to be forced to stay with them.

"Cool," Hermes observed. "They're letting these things choose their partners for them."

"I wonder who Hermione's partner will be."

"Judging recent events, I'm guessing Draco."

"You actually admit it?!"

"That was my sarcastic voice Eros."

"Really? It sounds a lot like your normal voice. And my name is Cupid."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"Oh yeah?"

We bickered on for a while, and we got interrupted when Hermione's name was called. The cat-thing took one look at her, and then floated off almost instantly, almost as if it already knew where to go… 

"Noo! Stupid creature!" Yelled Hermes in frustration. 

"I think it's called a cabbit." I told Hermes. We moved over to where Draco and Hermione were standing, both looking disgusted with each other. 

Hermes didn't hear me. He was looking at the cabbit with a mean look on his face.

"I wonder if you can eat these things…" He wondered.

"Shh! Magical creatures can hear us, remember?" I quickly covered the cabbit's ears, but it was a bit too late. The cabbit was staring at Hermes, clearly understanding every word that Hermes said.

"I don't care if they make good company! This… _thing _is implying that… that…" He motioned with his hands, too emotional to speak.

"Hey, these things know what's best for its owner. If Draco is the best thing for Hermione then-"

"Stop right there! I don't even want to hear the rest of that sentence."

Meanwhile, the cabbit was hissing at Hermes and trying to claw at him. Hermione picked it up, and tried to comfort it, saying in baby talk:

"Awww… Is something wrong with my widdle Fwuffy?"

Draco rolled his eyes and muttered: "_Fluffy?_" 

He then continued, drawling in a disgusted voice, "I can't believe anyone would even bother to name that thing, let alone a name like Fluffy. Its name's Cabbit, and that's final."

"Give the boy a gold star for originality. Its name's Fluffy."

"And like _Fluffy _is original?! Cabbit."

"Fluffy."

"Cabbit."

They bickered on like this for some time, and the cabbit concerned just followed the course, turning its head to who ever was speaking. 

"That is really sweet," I motioned to the two arguing, "They're having a lover's spat."

"Oh please!" Retorted Hermes, "Those two are having a spat, all right. A normal, enemy's spat. No love and lots of contempt."

"I don't think _contempt _is a word that can be used when describing last night's events."

"Yeah, that's right. Rub it in, why don't you." Muttered Hermes.

"Does it bother you?" I asked with mock concern.

"If it did, would you care?"

"Not really."

Hermes glared at the cabbit again, and it responded by hissing back. 

"You know," I remarked to Hermes, "I don't think it likes you a lot."

"You don't say…"

I reached out to the cabbit and petted it which started to purr. When Hermes tried to do the same, it gave him a disdainful look.

"These things are really adorable." I said, petting the cabbit.

"Yah, that's right, really deplorable- I mean adorable." Muttered Hermes when the cabbit glared at him. 

You know, these things are a lot smarter than they seem…

Anyway, since I hadn't done any matchmaking over the last few days, I drew out my arrows and looked for some promising couples.

"I thought you agreed that you wouldn't use your arrows." 

"I agreed that I wouldn't use the arrows _on them_." I jerked my head in Draco and Hermione's direction. "Regardless of the Wager, I still have a job to do. Unlike you. When was the last time you delivered messages to the Gods?" 

"That's not my only job," Replied Hermes, looked offended, "You know that I'm a 'bringer of good luck', and the protector of loads of people and other stuff. So that's what I'm doing. I'm bringing good luck."

"To who?" I snorted.

"I think the correct word is 'whom'." He smirked.

Honestly, being the 'patron of writers', or whatever they called it, can get _really _annoying. 

I shot an arrow at Ron and his partner, a Slytherin girl, and aimed another arrow at a Gryffindor boy and his partner.

All the students were placing various objects in front of their cabbits, trying to make it choose and noting whatever it went to.

All in all, very boring. 

I started to aim my arrow at another couple, when the cabbit tried to scratch Hermes. As he jumped out of the way, he bumped into me, sending my arrow flying and hitting Draco!

Slowly, as though it was in slow motion, we both saw the arrow fly and hit Draco, who was looking up from his work at-

"Pansy Parkinson?!" Exclaimed Hermes and me.

Draco started staring at Pansy, and I was yelling at Hermes.

"You just _had _to bump into me, didn't you?!" I shouted furiously. "Just like that Psyche incident! Do you actually plan these things?" 

"Hold on!" Hermes tried to stay as far away from me as he could. "First of all, yeah, so what if the Psyche thing _was _on purpose? _This _was the cabbit's fault. It tried to scratch me!"

"Oh, sure, a _cat with wings_ is to blame!" I yelled back. The cabbit, looking up, hissed at the insult.

"Oh shut up!" I snapped at it. 

"Sheesh, Cupid. You have to cut back on the caffeine." 

I was panicking. What am I going to do? 

I racked my brains for something I could do to stop all this, and came up with… nothing! Absolutely nothing!

I don't have anything to _stop _love, and once a person is hit by an arrow, then the love is unstoppable! 

This is just like the Psyche incident, only it wasn't me who wasn't hit.

Hermes thought it was funny to sneak up on me and scare me when I was aiming an arrow, and in the process I pricked myself and fell in love with Psyche. The rest, as they say, is history. 

After a few months of trailing around Psyche like a love-sick puppy, I managed to make her fall in love with someone, which broke my heart. 

It was only after pining for her for a few days was I able to get over, and end the "accidental love." 

All in all, it wasn't a pleasant experience, and I still blame Hermes for that.

"Well Hermes, it's your fault. You got Draco to fall in love with Pansy, so end it. Now." I glared at him. 

"Why should I fix this? You're the "bringer of love" or whatever." Hermes replied. "I am merely a "bringer of luck" and all the afore-mentioned things. Beside it…was… your… arrow." Hermes screeched to a stop when he saw me glare warningly at him. 

"Besides," He continued, "You think _this _is going to help me with the wager?"

"Yes."

"Hmm… You're right. Anyway, it's no fun to win like this. Don't you have anything like a romance repellent or something?"

"Sure, I'll use it _WHEN I DO HAVE SUCH A THING!_" The last part was yelled at Hermes, who winced. 

What was I going to do?

~*~

A/N: You know, I think I'll leave it like this for now.

Angry Mob: What?! *Start to run after me.*

Me: Um, guys? Guyyys? Uh oh. *Starts running away* HELP!!!

Sorry to leave you all like this, but I have writer's block like you wouldn't imagine! Plus, I'm starting school next week, so cut me some slack! Anyway, I want to work on this _fabulous_ story I just started. I'm waiting for it to be approved by my beta, so watch this space!

 By the way, I've started this MSN group that focuses on D/Hr stuff. It's still new-ish, but I'm still working on it. I would really appreciate it if you people could join, post on the message boards, and maybe submit a fic on the Documents page every now and them! Here's the URL:

Anyway, I'll start work on the next chapter as soon as I get some ideas. Thanks a lot to my Beta McG, and to all the readers! 

Until next time!

MiChA


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